


The Monster Under the Bed(rock)

by the_genderman



Category: Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Arkanis Academy (Star Wars), Bittersweet Ending, Other, Planet Arkanis (Star Wars), Pre-Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Short & Sweet, Tentacle Monsters, Xenophilia, soft
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-26
Updated: 2020-12-26
Packaged: 2021-03-11 06:01:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,044
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28346565
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/the_genderman/pseuds/the_genderman
Summary: Sometimes, when Cadet Hux can’t sleep, he sneaks out onto the Arkanisian moorland to be alone with his thoughts. Other times, he sneaks out tonotbe alone with his thoughts.
Relationships: Armitage Hux/A Cool Dark Side Monster
Comments: 9
Kudos: 10





	The Monster Under the Bed(rock)

**Author's Note:**

  * For [sternfleck](https://archiveofourown.org/users/sternfleck/gifts).



> Inspired by an Archillect tweet I don’t have the link to anymore, but it was an image of a smallish rocky chasm in hilly moorland, RT’ed by Sternfleck with the comment “This is where a Cool Dark Side Monster lives on Arkanis, on the moors outside the Academy. Young Armitage used to go and lie on the edge of the chasm and talk to it—nothing more than conversation, but it was his first crush.”

The Imperial Arkanis Academy was one of the most secure locations on the planet. Of course, if one had the time, the intelligence, the patience, and the wherewithal, one could find ways in and out that were unobserved. Cadet Armitage Hux had all of those and occasional bouts of insomnia. On nights when he couldn’t sleep, he found it far more relaxing to sneak out of the Academy for short walks around the moors than to lie awake in his bunk listening to the other cadets rolling over, snoring, or muttering in their sleep. He had learned to tell when the rest of his dormitory-mates were fast asleep. He knew which routes were the most lightly-patrolled and when the safest times to take them were. He knew which codes would get him in and out of the building without alerting anyone. There certainly were advantages to having been underestimated and overlooked most of his life. He knew how to be unseen. 

And when Armitage was feeling particularly lonely as well as unable to sleep, he picked his way across the moonlit moorland to an unobtrusive outcropping by a low ridge of hills. There, in the uprooted bedrock, was a small chasm. Large enough for a human to climb into, but Armitage never did. It wouldn’t be polite. Some rules were meant to be broken for the greater good, other rules must be followed. He was a guest here and he would not simply walk into his host’s home uninvited.

One of Arkanis’ moons was almost full, the other waning just past half. The moorland was asleep, the spring flowers closed for the night. The clouds were thin and patchy, the rain barely more than a mist. Armitage picked his way silently across the stony ground, over the crest of the hills, and down to the chasm. Reaching the hole in the earth, he smoothed the grass out, rolled out a waterproofed blanket, and lay down on his stomach, stretching out over the cool ground. Pillowing his head on one crooked arm, he dangled the other over the edge of the crevice. He didn’t need to speak, his host would feel his thoughts, would know he was here. If he was to be received, his host would appear. He waited.

The stars blinked in and out as the clouds skated across the sky. Armitage waited, his uniform slowly soaking in the rain. After a few minutes, the air around him grew cold, his breath fogging. He shivered, gooseflesh pricking under his uniform. He lay still. Slowly, something like a tendril of living shadow, wet like salt-spray on rocks and furred like moss, rose from the chasm and coiled around his hand and wrist. He grasped the tendril affectionately.

“Thank you for coming,” Armitage murmured.

 _Something worries you_ , a deep, resonant voice spoke into Armitage’s head. _You are uneasy. More so than usual_.

“I will be leaving the Academy soon,” Armitage said, a sting of pain weaving through the pride in his voice. “I’m graduating early.”

 _Ah. And you are torn_ , the creature in the chasm said. The tendril extended, creeping up Armitage’s arm, over his shoulder, and up his neck. It stroked his cheek gently. _This is what you’ve dreamed of. To make your name your own, to become your own man. Not simply a boy eclipsed by his father’s name. Your graduation means you are moving beyond that shadow into a myriad of potentials, both successes and failures. Do you fear your future? Do you fear the unknown_?

“No,” Armitage said slowly, closing his eyes and letting the tendril soothe him. Perhaps the creature fed on his dark emotions, drawing them out of him, but perhaps he simply felt wanted when he was here. He felt… loved. A childish emotion, yes, but it was pleasant in its unfamiliarity. It warmed him and he couldn’t seem to purge it from his body. So he allowed it to remain. “I want it, I know I will only achieve more and greater things upon graduation, but…” he trailed off.

 _But you will miss us_ , the creature spoke, its words crackling and echoing.

“Yes,” Armitage replied. No need to give an expansive explanation, no need to draw things out. They both knew.

 _You want us, but you_ need _this. We will still be here. If the Force wills it, you will return. If you do not, then you will still have these memories. Some things we enjoy must pass in service of greater things, but that does not mean they are lost_.

Armitage was silent, letting the creature’s words soak into him much like the rain. He shivered, but made no move to rise. He wanted to steal every moment he could with the creature, _his_ creature. He knew it would never, _could_ never belong to him, but for now, they were together. They were one. Its tentacle pulsed against his arm, soft against his cheek, both pleasantly warm and freezing cold. 

_The moons grow low in the sky_ , the creature said, a reluctance and a resignation in its voice. _You should return to your Academy. You should not do anything to jeopardize your future. You could have this, remain at the Academy like any other cadet, but you are not simply ‘any other cadet.’ It would not make you happy, not in the long run. You are meant for bigger things. Go now_.

Nodding, Armitage gave the tendril a fond squeeze, then opened his fingers to allow it to uncoil from his arm. He rose stiffly to his feet, the chill sunk into his bones. He rolled up his blanket and sighed, watching as the darkness descended back into the chasm, the shadows fading back into natural hues and shades. He knew it had to be done. He knew his future lay off of Arkanis with his graduation. He would simply have to learn how to put this sentimentality behind him; it was not his nature. His creature would understand. He wasn’t sure how he knew it would, but it would. It spoke the truth. Even if they never met again, nothing could erase the fact that they had had this time together. 

_Go_ , the voice said, faint as it settled deeper into the earth.

Armitage went.


End file.
